Gov. Bobby Jindal heads for divisive territory: Stephanie Grace

One of the more interesting developments in recent years is the extent to which support for education reform, in Louisiana and elsewhere, has crossed party lines.

Gov. Bobby Jindal and his fellow Republicans have enthusiastically embraced accountability measures, the charter school movement and a general sense of decentralization and entrepreneurship in public schools.

So, despite the party's long-standing relationship with historically turf-conscious teacher unions, have many Democrats, including major politicians like U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, Mayor Mitch Landrieu and President Barack Obama.

Rather than paint a broad, thematic vision of his second term, Jindal talked about one issue, education reform, in depth.

Actually, make that at length, since Jindal glossed over the details. Instead, he made a generalized pitch in favor of "choice" for kids in failing schools, a term that's mostly been used as shorthand for competition between public schools, at least since the post-Katrina charter explosion in New Orleans.

Although he didn't promote them during his campaign and hasn't made a public pitch in the months since he was resoundingly re-elected, people who've been in meetings with the governor say he hopes to greatly expand the use of private school vouchers. During his speech, he telegraphed that agenda, with a preemptive, and combative, call for his potential critics to put partisanship aside.

"There are of course many competing philosophies and agendas when it comes to education," Jindal told the crowd assembled outside the Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge. "I believe we all need to check our party affiliations, our ideologies, and our political agendas at the door when it comes to improving our schools.

"Reforming and improving education should not be a partisan issue. Getting our kids ready to face the challenges this world has to offer, getting them prepared to succeed and triumph should not be a political matter," he continued.

On the surface, nobody would disagree with any of that. Yet the irony of such language is that Jindal himself is the one introducing a more partisan element into the equation.

Vouchers may have fallen off many Louisianians' radar since 2008, when Jindal pushed a small-scale program for low-income Orleans Parish students in failing schools through the Legislature. But they are ever-popular in the national conservative movement, which embraces privatization and -- to the extent that religious schools would receive more taxpayer money now allotted to public schools -- lowering the constitutional wall between church and state.

For the very same reasons, vouchers are viewed with suspicion by many on the other side of the ideological fence.

Judging by his speech, Jindal knows this. In labeling his potential critics partisans and ideologues who don't have the kids' best interests at heart, he attempted to go on offense, rather than waiting to play defense. He tried to claim the non-partisan high ground, even as he prepared to embark on a partisan fight.

Why else would he resort to boilerplate GOP rhetoric, throwing in a gratuitous reference to people who'd "redistribute your neighbor's wealth," and implicitly accusing his critics of wanting to "guarantee everyone an equal result" rather than equal opportunity?

The only thing such language does is divulge just how partisan Jindal's own outlook is. Really, it has to be, to introduce an idea like vouchers into the mix just as he's making yet another play for national GOP prominence.

Nothing Jindal said Monday changes the underlying dynamics he has set in motion. If he indeed ends up with an ideological fight, it may be because that's exactly what he wants.